The Journey of Regeneration
by AngelofDarkJugdement
Summary: This is the main story of ToS, retold with a bit more Kratos x Raine and some twists added in. Characters: Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, Kratos. Pairings: Kratos x Raine. Chapter three added!
1. Chapter 1 The beginning

_This is the first stuff I've ever submitted here on so please don't be too hard on me! (English is not my foreign language) But I do appreciate constuctive criticism and your opinions A LOT! So please review. :-) And please do not flame me if you dislike Kratos x Raine, because that's what much of this is about. Okay? I hope you'll enjoy the first chapter! (I'll submit the others eventually as well, you see, I'v been writing this story and submitting it on a forum, but then I thought that It'd be nice with a account, and here I am!)_

_DISCLAIMER TIME!_

_Drags Kratos and Raine in front of herself_

_Kratos: What am I supposed to do?_

_Me: Say that Angelofdarkjugdement does not own Tales of Symphonia and then you kiss Raine._

_Raine: Now that's a long name you've got there, dear._

_Me: Come on, say it!_

_Kratos: ..._

_Me: ..Do I really have to do everything myself? Angelofdarkjugdement does not own Tales of Symphonia._

_giggles_

_Me: Now go along and kiss Raine, Kratos! _

_looks around _

_Me: ...they're gone..._

Xxx

**Chapter 1 – The beginning**

---Iselia school, Iselia, Sylvarant ---

"And that is how the Kharlan War ended." The young female elf teacher finished her lecture. "Any questions?"

A young blonde girl raised her hand.

"Yes, Colette?"

"Professor Sage, why was there a war after all? If everyone had been nice to each other it's sure there wouldn't had been a war."

The silver haired elf paused a second before she came with an answer.

"I suppose it is something in people's nature." She replied, and looked if there were any other hands in the air.

But then she noticed something red with a bucked in each hand, sleeping. Lloyd Irving, just as usual. The elf woman let out a sigh and grabbed the nearest eraser and threw it right in Lloyds face. Lloyd woke up an instant, and to the class's delight he dropped both buckets in shock and water splashed all around him.

After Raine had explained everything about the day of prophecy, which happened to be this day, she declared class as ended. It was time for Lloyd's punishment.

"Uh-huh…" he mumbled as he saw the angry look on the professor's face. And it took a while before Lloyd could go home that day. He'd been ordered to mop up the water and write one hundred times on the blackboard: "I will never sleep in class again."

Xxx

When Lloyd finally got outside of the small, wooden school building, his friends Genis and Colette were waiting for him. Genis sent him a malicious grin.

"So, how did it go?"

"Genis, I warn you…" Lloyd replied, slightly irritated by the young elf's grin.

But before any of them could begin saying harsher words, Colette stepped between them and gave both of them a smile.

"How about we play catch?" she suggested.

And the three young Iselians did just that. None of them noticed the small smile on the professor's face when she walked past them on their way home, because all three of them were so absorbed in their game. The game continued until they met the mayor, who began complaining about it. Last time they had played catch, they had gotten too close to the mayors house, which lied just a little bit to the left of the school.

_It had been a nice and sunny day, with just a mild breeze sweeping gently over the village, making the leaves sway back and forth slowly. They had played catch nearby the school. Colette had been trying to catch Lloyd, but she tripped and fell on top of a flower vase outside the mayor's house. Colette and the flower had been okay afterwards, but that could certainly not be said about the poor (and quite valuable) vase._

_In other words, an incident the mayor did not forget about all too easily._

The mayor, a man who probably was somewhere in his fifties, approached the three friends.

"You three, hush, hush!" the mayor made a gesture as if he was to chase the three friends away. "Go and play another place, or I will be complaining to you parents."

Then he turned toward Genis. "And in your case, to your sister. Hush, now!"

Lloyd gave the mayor a challenging look and took a step toward him, ignoring Genis's protests: "Lloyd, you'll only get in trouble! Don't say afterwards that I didn't tell you!"

The mayor who had already begun to walk back turned his head toward Lloyd, and gave him a threatening look. "Listen, if you don't leave now-"

"Lloyd, just ignore him!" Genis tried to persuade Lloyd to come with him and Colette. Then he said one thing he'd better not said. "He's just a stupid human anyway."

To Genis's great surprise and shock, he realized that he had calculated wrongly, the mayor seemed to have a better hearing ability than he had thought. The effects of Genis' words began to show all to clearly as the mayor's face began to turn a dark red. He sent a glare toward Genis and whispered:

"You're not going to get away with this, I swear!".

Lloyd, Colette and Genis just stood there in silence as the mayor turned his back at them.

"Raine's gonna kill me… she's gonna kill me for sure…" Genis whispered to himself.

Colette gave the young elf a pitying look, and tried to comfort him.

"I'm sure the professor won't be too mad."

Lloyd sent Genis a look saying exactly the opposite.

"Gee, thanks so much for your support Lloyd…" the elf grumbled and began walking toward his home, Raine, and his certain death, or at least something very close to that.

Xxx

Raine was in a good mood this day, even though she had caught Lloyd sleeping in class, even standing. But the elf woman's attention was directed toward something else. She stood turned against the bookcase in her home, which mainly contained archaeological and scientific books, but also a few one about cooking. Raine grinned. Today she would surprise Genis when he came home! She picked a book about cooking and began looking through the many recipes. Tomato soup…? No, not today. The female elf turned the page and continued her search for a good recipe. After a few more pages, she finally found it; curry. And of course she would add her own personal touch to it, as she usually did.

A small while later, Raine stood in front of the pot with the boiling 'curry', wondering what spices she should add this time. She let her glance wander over her assortment of spices, and finally decided for chilli and cinnamon. Then she threw some sugar into the boiling mess which was supposed to be curry, and added onions, rice and apple pieces. It seemed like it actually was going to look edible this time, Raine confirmed with great satisfaction. Maybe her cooking was beginning to get better after all.

Xxx

Genis was walking home slowly, but before he entered their house, which was wooden like all the other houses in Iselia, but also kind of small, the young boy sat down by the pond next to their house. He knew that there were a pair of goldfishes living there, but you couldn't always see them, because they often swam between the water plants in the pond. But they were easier to spot on sunny days, just like this day. The boy leant a bit forward looking to a sparkle of gold or two. Then, he finally caught sight of one of the goldfishes. In his excitement, he leant forward to get a closer look, but his right hand lost its grip, and the left one soon followed. There was a splash, and a wet Genis was sitting in the pool. The poor goldfishes were swimming in circles around him, shocked by the unannounced visitor. Genis cursed slightly when his ears picked up the sound of a familiar laugh.

"Lloyd! Were you watching?"

"Hahahah, it's almost too funny… heheh… you should've seen your face, and then SPLASH! Hahahah! Genis is bathing with the fishes!" Lloyd laughed out loudly, attracting some village kids who pointed at Genis and joined in with laughing.

Genis gave Lloyd an annoyed look.

"That… was… not… funny… at all!" was the only thing the embarrassed elf managed to say.

Lloyd took a step toward Genis and the pond, and offered Genis his hand. After Genis got back on dry land, he used the opportunity to push Lloyd into the pond instead, and now it was Genis' turn to have a laugh at Lloyd's expense. The village kids had another laugh, but left soon, as they found something else of more interest than people falling into a pond.

Lloyd climbed out of the pond and they both laughed at how soaking wet they were.

However, their fun was soon disturbed by heavy footsteps. The mayor. Genis paled as he saw him approaching.

"Lloyd, did he tell your dad yet?"

"Uh, I don't know… haven't been there yet… But I don't think he's gonna care 'bout it anyway." Lloyd answered his best friend's question.

The mayor walked past Lloyd and Genis, completely ignoring them. Genis turned toward Lloyd. The young elf boy was shaking and had a fearful expression in is face.

"She's gonna kill me, there's no doubt about that…"

The young elf stiffened at the sound of the mayor knocking at the door. It really seemed like there was no escape this time…

He could see Raine open the door, and saw her talk with the mayor. After the conversation she began walking toward Genis…

There suddenly was a bright flash of light, and everyone stood there like petrified.

Then Raine finally broke the silence.

"It has to be the light of the oracle! Lloyd, Genis, do you know where Colette is now?"

Lloyd pointed toward the direction Colette had headed as he had went to find Genis.

"She said she was going to meet Phaidra at the temple today."

"Ok, thank you Lloyd." Raine sent him a thankful look and went into the direction of the temple. Genis let out a sigh of relief. He'd just escaped from a fate worse than death.

The mayor grumbled and began walking back to his home.

Xxx

The temple was a big, circular building. It had been built some thousand years ago, but there seldom were other people than the priests there. It really was a pity, Raine thought to herself, seeing how much her class could learn if they could take a trip to the temple sometime. Or she could go alone and explore the temple for herself… Raine got a dreamy expression on her face at the thought. Now, a bright light was coming out of the roof to show that something special was happening. Raine soon spotted Colette standing behind Phaidra. It looked like… no it could not possibly be…? Raine ran up the stairs to get a closer look, but stopped when somebody held a blade to her neck. It was a desian.

"Don't move, woman!" he snarled at her.

There were more desians too, they surrounded Colette and Phaidra. There was silence for a while, only disturbed by the sound of fighting that came from the temple. The sound stopped, and some desians, their leader in the middle of them, stepped out. The leader was a tall helf-elf with dark hair. His weapon was a big, red sword with a crystal attached to one end. Raine looked at the other desians again. Their bloody blades told more than words would have been able to.

"The priests are dead, now we only need to take care of the chosen one." He said.

"Yes, lord Botta." One of the desians answered.

Botta took a few steps toward Colette and Phaidra who was standing defensibly in front of her beloved granddaughter.

"If you want the chosen one, you will have to kill me first." Phaidra said, her voice calm as usual, but it had a more angry feel to it now. Then she turned her head toward Colette and whispered, in her normal, calming voice: "Run when I tell you to, Colette."

Colette swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing that this could be the last time she saw her grandma alive, and nodded. "I promise, grandma."

Raine still didn't move, but she noticed that the guard held his knife a little bit farther away from her now. Maybe her body didn't move, but certainly there was nothing in her mind standing still. She desperately tried to find a good solution, but was unsuccessful.

Xxx

"Hey, leave my friends be!

Raine did not know whether to be relieved or worried when Lloyd and Genis arrived at the scene. This was certainly no sight for a twelve-year old child like Genis. Still, her little brother was good at casting spells, and maybe that could help now. Genis stopped for a second when he saw Raine, the desian still holding his blade dangerously close to her neck.

Lloyd drew his wooden blades and readied himself to attack some of the desians. Botta let out an annoyed grunt, and made a gesture to his soldiers to follow him.

"Vidarr, finish this." Botta ordered and left with his soldiers.

Instead of them, a giant human(oid) appeared. He was holding an iron spiked ball, connected to a chain. He swung his spiked ball around, and tried to hit Colette, but the hit was blocked by Lloyd, who was sent flying be the force of the hit. Genis, Colette and Raine joined Lloyd in the fight, and soon all four of them were trying to get in some hits without getting hurt too much. Lloyd attacked with his twin blades, Colette threw her chakrams, Genis used magic and Raine pounded the enemy with her staff.

"Damn… he is just too strong…" Lloyd muttered.

Lloyd tried to block another swing of the iron spiked ball, which he just barely managed blocking. Lloyd was getting exhausted. Vidarr noticed Lloyd's exhaustion and turned toward Colette instead.

"Die, chosen!" he shouted as he swung the spiked ball toward Colette, but just as he was going to hit the girl, a blade appeared out of nowhere and blocked the swing. The man the blade belonged to was not sent flying like Lloyd, because he someway had managed to direct the force of the swing toward the earth instead of toward him. From the looks of it, his steel sword had been used well and often, and the man's brown eyes told of great experience. With a final slash from his sword, the man made Vidarr stagger backward. Then the muscular humanoid just fell over. Dead.

Xxx

"So your name is Kratos?"

Kratos nodded.

"And from what I have understood, this is Lloyd, the small one is Genis, she is the chosen one…" Kratos made a gesture toward Colette. "And you are Raine."

"Exactly." Raine replied. "And the first thing she was to do is to go into the temple and receive the oracle."

"But the priests are-" Lloyd interrupted.

"Grandma can go with us." Colette said.

Phaidra nodded. "Yes. I know that what has happened here is terrible, but the oracle is waiting."

The group went into the temple, Phaidra and Colette going first. After them came Genis and Lloyd, and last were Kratos and Raine.

There were three sets of stairs in the temple, but the first one was blocked by a pile of rocks, and there was a magic barrier in front of the second one. From what Phaidra told them, it seemed like they would have to fetch the sorcerer's ring first, an artefact of the church of Martel. It should be somewhere deeper in the temple if the old woman remembered correctly.

"Kratos?" Raine asked as they walked up the third set of stairs and continued further into the temple. "Exactly what is your reason for coming here?"

"Well," Kratos replied. "I am a mercenary, and I was looking for work when I heard strange noises from the temple."

Raine looked at him. He seemed like he had a great deal of experience when it came to fighting… Then a thought popped into her mind, and went out her mouth before she managed to think it over.

"The chosen needs protection now, so if you…"

"If you'd need my help regarding protection of the…"

When the two of them noticed that they had thought of exactly the same thing, Raine blushed a little and Kratos fell silent. Raine walked a bit faster, not wanting to show that she was blushing. Kratos walked faster. They arrived at another set of stairs, but this time they went down instead.

After a bit of exploration, the group managed to find the sorcerer's ring. Well, it was more like Lloyd found the ring first, and somehow managed to set his own boots on fire. After Genis put out the fire with a water spell of his, the soaking wet Lloyd received a smack and a scolding from Raine before they went back to the three sets of stairs right at the entrance.

Lloyd lent Colette the sorcerer's ring for a moment. The magic barrier in front of the middle set of stairs soon vanished after being hit by a fireball of the sorcerer's ring. Colette took a deep breath, and the group walked past the barrier and stepped on the teleporter behind.

Xxx

_Please be nice and review :-)_


	2. Chapter 2 The oracle

_This is chapter two! Please read! Please review! (But first, last time I made a stupid mistake... I meant to say that english is NOT my native language, I confused native with foreign...)_

_DISCLAIMER TIME!_

_Drags Kratos in an apron and Raine in front of herself_

_Me: Okay, this time YOU say it._

_Kratos: I do not have any time for such foolishness. The food is going to get burnt. _

_Kratos prepares to leave, but is held back by me_

_Raine: I'll fix that, Kratos!_

_Raine runs off_

_Kratos: My poor food..._

_Me: Argh! Forget it! Angelofdarkjugdement does not own Tales of Symphonia now either._

_Kratos runs off too_

**Chapter 2 – The oracle**

The room the group of six people arrived in appeared to be the top floor of the temple. There was an altar at the other end of the room, where a shining crystal lay.

"Wow, it sure didn't look so large from the outside!" Lloyd burst out.

"And there's an altar too." Genis observed.

Colette took some steps toward the altar, and looked at the crystal.

"They say I was born with this in my hand… A cruxis crystal…" she said in wonder.

The young blonde girl stretched her arm out and prepared to reach for the crystal, but before she could touch it, there was a bright flash of light, that made everybody shield their eyes. The next thing they saw was an angel, his hair the same colour as Colette's. He wore priest's clothes and had two big, white, feathered wings he used to float in the air. Colette, Lloyd and Genis gasped as they saw the winged creature, but Kratos did not seem much impressed.

"An angel?" Genis gasped.

"My real father…" Colette's voice was happy, yet a bit sad at the same time. Happy because she finally met her real father, sad because she had not met him before. At least that was what Lloyd thought.

"I am Remiel." The angel declared. "I am here to guide Colette on her journey to heaven as the seventh chosen."

Remiel paused for a moment and descended a little.

"The time has come to awaken the goddess Martel who sleeps at the center of the world." He continued.

"Just like the legend Raine told me…" Genis whispered.

"What legend?" Lloyd asked.

"I think she told it in class yesterday, during your little nap…" Genis replied sarcastically.

Then, Remiel made a gesture with his hand, and the cruxis crystal began floating toward Colette, and attached itself to her neck.

"From this time, Colette becomes the chosen of regeneration. We of cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant." The feathered creature above them declared.

Remiel made another gesture, this time toward one of the windows in the room. A tower appeared, so tall that it reached into the clouds. Lloyd, Genis and Colette marvelled at the sight, but Raine could not stop wondering what material the tower might be made of. Kratos looked out of the window too, but his face did not bear the same wondering expression as the others.

"The tower of salvation!" Genis smiled.

"It surely looks impressive." Raine remarked.

"Anything that's older than thousand years looks impressive to you Raine-"

Genis was cut off by a hard smack he received from his sister.

"Oww…" The boy winced and held his hands protectively over his head.

Lloyd and Colette were still looking at the tower.

"So you'll go there Colette?" Lloyd asked.

Colette nodded. "Yup. And then everyone will be saved!"

Lloyd smiled. Colette sure looked happy, despite being chosen to bear such a responsibility. It couldn't be easy to be responsible for saving a whole world.

"Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration. Unlock the seals guarding the tower of salvation and climb its stairs to heaven in distant lands." Remiel said, reattracting Lloyds and Colette's attention.

Colette turned toward the angel and answered: "I humbly accept this task."

"Good." Remiel smiled. "We of cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Then you will be reborn as an angel, and the world will be regenerated."

"I swear on my life that I will regenerate the world." Colette said, just like she had been taught to do since she was a small child.

"But if-" Lloyd began, but was cut off by Remiel's words.

"First, head south and offer your prayers at the seal of fire."

"Yes, lord Remiel." Colette answered.

Remiel began ascending, but stopped as Colette asked him: "Are you really my true father?"

Remiel smiled. "First, head to the seal of fire. Colette, my beloved daughter."

"Father…" Colette whispered softly.

Remiel ascended a bit further, then there was a flash of light, and a couple of golden feathers fell down. Colette picked up one and took a long look at it, before she put it into her pocket. She was careful to put it into her left pocket, because the right one already was filled with doggy treats. Colette had always loved all kinds of animals, but cared for dogs in particular.

"Colette…?" It was Phaidra's voice. "I just want you to know that even if we're not your real family…" she paused for a bit. "…you will always belong dear to me."

Colette hugged the old woman, a hint of tears in her eyes. "Me too."

Then, Colette glanced at the others. Lloyd and Genis were talking about what they just had seen, and Raine was busily taking notes, while Kratos just stood there.

"We should leave now." Kratos suggested. Everybody except Raine agreed, she wanted to stay in the temple a bit longer.

Kratos thought for a bit, before he changed his mind. "You four leave now. I think I'll stay…" The mercenary turned to Raine. "…if you don't mind?"

"Not at all." Raine smiled. A small blush rose to her cheeks as Kratos took her arm. "And where will you go first?" he asked.

Xxx

Genis, Lloyd and Colette were walking down the stairs outside the temple, toward Iselia.

"I can't believe it!" Genis groaned. "She's not even known his name for half an hour, and she's already on a date with him!"

"Actually, it's not what I would call a date…" Colette pointed out.

"In Raine's case, you never know…" Genis replied grimly.

Lloyd and Colette looked strangely at Genis.

"It's a long story…" he sighed.

"We should get back to Iselia," Colette suggested. "I'm sure my dad's waiting for me."

"I'll go with you then." Lloyd answered.

"And I'll go with you too." Said Genis, a split second after Lloyd.

The three friends walked for a while, until they could see the northern gate of Iselia. As usual, two guards were on duty to prevent strangers or desians from entering the village. But Lloyd secretly suspected that they would run away if they saw as much as a desian's helmet.

"I wonder what you journey will be like. I'm sure it's gonna be exciting!" Lloyd said with a smile. Then he grinned. "Maybe I could go with you?"

"Umm… Possibly." Colette answered. She sounded a bit unsure.

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it." Genis smiled. "No matter how many Lloyd's you'd be forced to drag with you."

"Heheh…" Lloyd grinned until he understand the true meaning of Genis' words. "Hey, Genis!" Lloyd gave Genis an angry look, but Genis just laughed and ran a bit ahead of him.

"Catch me if you can!"

Lloyd rushed after Genis and grabbed Genis' hair.

"Gotcha!"

"Hey, Lloyd, that's no fair!" the silver-haired elf boy complained.

"Why not?" Lloyd grinned.

"Because you're way faster!" The smaller boy reasoned.

"Umm.. excuse me…" Colette broke into their conversation. "But I think it's fair. You get far better grades at school than Lloyd does."

"Colette, grades have nothing to do with running…" Genis tried to explain.

The three friends soon reached the northern gate of Iselia. Lloyd and Genis had stopped chasing each other, and Colette walked between them.

"Does anyone want to play catch?" Colette asked. Soon after all three of them were running trough the village, trying to get each other.

They played catch until they heard Phaidra call Colette's name. Colette explained to Lloyd and Genis that it had to be her father who wanted to talk with her.

"Drop by my house later, ok?" Colette said to them before she went home.

"You can count on us!" Lloyd smiled at her.

Xxx

"Hmm…" Raine bowed forward to take a closer look at the temple wall, and the symbols painted on it.

Kratos yawned. It seemed like Raine never got tired of ruins. He saw the elven woman rushing to the next inscription, and make notes.

"Raine… what about leaving the temple now? The others must be waiting." He suggested.

Raine smiled sweetly at him.

"Of course, I only need to finish examining this wall."

Kratos groaned as he noticed all the inscriptions at the wall. It had to be some hundreds of them… Not wanting to wait for that long, he grabbed Raine's arm and gently dragged the protesting woman out of the temple.

Raine gave him a doggy-eyes look as he dragged her down the stairs leading away from the temple.

"No!" he snarled at her, forgetting his manners for a moment. "My apologies…" Kratos mumbled as he saw the look on Raine's face. The mercenary turned his head away, and tried to avoid the woman's gaze.

After a bit more dragging and pleading, the two adults finally arrived in Iselia. Raine slowly went back to her normal self, but Kratos held her arm until he was completely sure Raine wouldn't run all they way back to the temple.

"That reminds me, didn't the chosen's grandmother want to have a talk with you?" Kratos asked Raine.

"That is true, and if I remember correctly, she had some words to speak with you too." She replied.

"Hm… We should go there now then."

"Yes, we-" then Raine suddenly remembered her curry. "Just wait a minute, I will be back soon." She said quickly and rushed back to her house.

The curry was ruined, but luckily it hadn't started burning. Raine took the pot off the oven, tossed the ruined curry into the rubbish bin and then returned to Kratos.

The two adults stopped before the house were Colette lived with Frank, her father and Phaidra, her grandmother. Colette's house was one of the biggest houses in Iselia, it even had a second floor. But then again, Colette was the chosen after all, and that earned her and her family a special position. Small wooden stairs led up to the front door. Raine stepped up the stair and knocked on the door. Phaidra opened.

Colette, Frank and the mayor were already sitting at the table inside.

"Please sit down." Phaidra said.

"I apologize for your wait." Kratos replied and sat down.

Raine sat down beside him, and the adults started talking.

"So this is the mercenary you told about, Phaidra…" Frank said. "My name is Frank. Pleased to meet you."

"My name is Kratos."

"So," they mayor began. "Kratos, you will protect the chosen if we pay you?"

Kratos nodded. "That is right."

"Umm… I have a question…" It was Colette, who had not said anything until now.

"What is it, my dear?" Phaidra smiled at her granddaughter.

"Maybe this is a bit selfish…" Colette mumbled. "But I would be very happy if the professor could come with me too… Seeing as I don't know Mr. Kratos all too well…"

Colette looked down at the table, a bit embarrassed at how selfish her words had sounded.

"Then you will be happy to hear that we already have been intending to ask her, because of her great knowledge of the world and the healing arts." Phaidra explained.

"Oh, it's not that much…" Raine murmured, a bit embarrassed.

Hmm… so she's a healer. Interesting. Kratos thought to himself.

"So, Raine, will you be so kind to accompany Colette on her journey?" Phaidra asked.

"It will be an honour." Raine answered. Somehow, she was happy that Kratos would be on the journey too. Raine smiled for herself.

But then the door suddenly slammed open, and in came Lloyd and Genis.

"Uh, hi! It's quite crowded here…" Lloyd burst out as he noticed all the people sitting at the table.

"Oh, hi Lloyd!" Colette smiled. "We're talking about who's going to accompany me on my journey to save the world."

"I wanna go too! I wanna see the world be regenerated!" Lloyd grinned.

"Me too! If Raine goes, I'm going too!" Genis joined in.

Kratos sent Lloyd and Genis an irritated look.

"No. You're only going to be in the way."

"I won't, I-" Lloyd protested, but Raine interrupted him before he even could reach the middle of his sentence.

"Lloyd, it is going to be dangerous, and I don't want you or Genis to get hurt."

"Awww… Raine… C'mon!" Genis begged.

"I think you two should leave now." Raine said in a demanding tone of voice, accompanied by a death glare.

Lloyd and Genis actually left.

Xxx

"Wait!" Colette came running out the door.

"I'm sorry…" she said to Lloyd and Genis.

"It's not you fault." Lloyd smiled. "And even if we can't go, you'll be back when you've regenerated the world!"

Colette fell silent for a moment before she answered. "…Yes."

Genis grinned and took something out of his pocket. It was a gift, nicely wrapped in gift paper with small cats and dogs on it.

"Happy birthday, Colette!"

"Oh, thank you so much, Genis!" Colette beamed at him.

She opened the present, careful not to make any rips in the paper in the process. It were some of Genis' homemade cookies.

"I planned something a bit more special for you but…" the boy mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, I love your cookies!" Colette smiled.

Lloyd looked a bit uncomfortable as Genis gave him a and-what-about-you-look.

"Uh… I planned to make necklace for you, but it's not quite done yet. I'll give it to you tomorrow, before you leave." He said to Colette.

"That's so nice of you Lloyd! I'll come by your house later, when I find out what time we'll leave tomorrow, ok?" she smiled at him.

"Ok." Lloyd smiled back at her.

Colette went inside again.

"Liar." Genis mumbled.

"I'll get it done on time if I start on it now!" Lloyd defended himself.

"Yeah, and we all know how that's going to end…" Genis muttered.

"Genis? Did you say something?" Lloyd asked.

"No, nothing."

The two friends began walking away from Colette's home.

"Lloyd?" Genis asked.

"Yes?" The red-clad boy replied and looked at his friend.

"You're going home now, aren't you?"

"Yup, that's right." Lloyd nodded.

"Can I go part of the way with you?"

Lloyd gave Genis a surprised look.

"There's someone I need to meet." Genis explained.

Lloyd shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure."

Genis sent Lloyd a thankful smile. Then the two friends went off toward the southern exit of Iselia. Genis hesitated for a bit.

"Umm… Lloyd? I've got to get my things first."

Lloyd waited while Genis went into his house and prepared some sandwiches.

"Sandwiches? Are you gonna eat along the way, Genis?"

"No, it's for my friend." Genis replied.

"Heheh, I understand." Lloyd said and gave Genis a smart look. "It's a dog!"

"No, she isn't. She's a human." The elven boy sighed.

Lloyd's smart look turned into an equally stupid one.

"Well…"

"Oh, Lloyd, just let's go, ok?"

And the two friends went out of Iselia and headed toward the forest.

Xxx

_And now I'd like to thank Clearheart for reviewing, I appreciate it that you point out my mistakes. gives Clearheart an imaginary Lloyd plushie_


	3. Chapter 3 A broken promise

_Sorry for being so late about adding this chapter, but I've been away. I will add some more chapters soon. I am currently writing the eight chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia._

**Chapter 3 – A broken promise / meeting at Dirk's house**

Colette's eyes widened.

"Are we going to leave so early?"

Raine nodded.

"That's right."

Colette fell silent and scraped the rest of her dinner off from her plate. Kratos was there too, and so were Frank and Phaidra. Colette's grandmother had invited Kratos and Raine to dinner, so they could discuss things about the journey.

"The sooner we start on the journey, the better." Kratos explained.

Raine noticed that Colette seemed a bit concerned, so she asked her.

"Colette, is something troubling you?"'

"No, not at all. I'm fine, professor." Colette smiled and tried to look as cheery as usual, but Raine saw through her disguise.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"O-okay… I'm worried that Lloyd won't be awake so early… and then I'll not be able to say goodbye to him…"

"We could visit him after dinner. What do you think about that?" Raine asked.

"Yes. You're so smart professor!"

"Oh…"

Xxx

Then, after dinner, Colette, Raine and Kratos prepared to pay Lloyd a visit. Colette, because she wanted to say goodbye, Raine had much the same reason and Kratos was just tagging along.

"Look, a rabbit!" Colette beamed at the two adults.

She sat down and fished some grass out of her pocket. Kratos looked strangely at her.

"Chosen, why do you carry grass in your pockets?"

"It's for the rabbits of course!"

The rabbit slowly approached Colette and began nibbling at the grass she was holding.

Kratos groaned.

"But I don't only carry grass for the rabbits," Colette continued. "I also have doggy treats, cat treats, different seeds for the birds to eat, breadcrumbs for the fishes, sunflower seeds for hamsters, even more grass for sheep and horses and cows, nuts for the squirrels…"

"I understand." Kratos cut her off. Who knew how long she'd have went on if he hadn't stopped her…

Colette sat on the ground a bit and waited for the rabbit to finish eating. Kratos let out a sigh of relief when the rabbit finally was done. But then Colette decided to feed the rabbit another handful of grass.

"Chosen… it might not be wise to linger here too long. There might be monsters about."

"But it still looks hungry!"

Colette looked at him with a pleading look in her blue eyes.

"Please, Mr. Kratos?"

"Colette, I think we should listen to Kratos. He has a lot more experience than the two of us." Raine tried to convince the girl. "Beside, I don't think you want that rabbit to get a stomach-ache either."

Colette nodded.

"You're right Professor."

Colette put the grass back into her pocket, and they continued through the forest. At times it could actually be quite peaceful. A broad path went trough the forest, and the path it was easy to walk on. The trees and bushes were green and healthy just like the grass. Beautiful flowers grew near the path, and at one point there was a river you had to cross by a cute little bridge. The only thing that disturbed the peaceful atmosphere of the Iselia forest was the human ranch on the hill ahead.

The group slowly walked closer. In order to reach Lloyd's house they had to follow the path that went past the human ranch. Raine lifted her head and looked toward the ranch. How many poor souls might have died there? How many were still suffering? Colette seemed worried as she looked at the ranch.

The young chosen slipped her hand into her pocket and stroke over the golden feather. She had sworn by her life, and she would manage it. She would fulfill the regeneration ritual for the sake of all the victims of the desians… even if she knew what it would mean to her. She had to be strong.

"Chosen? Raine? We should move on now."

Raine turned away from the ranch.

"Of course." She replied. "Come, Colette."

"Yes, professor!"

Xxx

"Okay, Lloyd and Genis, are you ready?"

"You bet!" Lloyd answered, a broad grin on his face.

Genis nodded.

They were standing inside Dirk's house. Dirk was a dwarf and also Lloyd's adoptive father. The wooden house was well-built and bigger than the average Iselian house. It was a lot messier too. Various ores, wood blocks, metal objects and a lot of other things (it would take too long to mention all of them) lay strewn on the floor.

Dirk closed the curtains and each of them turned to a corner. "Okay, when I tell you to-"

"Now!" Lloyd cried out. "Triple dwarven pot-luck surprise!"

Lloyd, Genis and Dirk began taking random things from the pitch-black room and threw them into a big, black pot.

"Hey, Lloyd it's me, Genis!"

Lloyd let go of Genis and they continued throwing things into the pot for about five minutes before Dirk turned on the light again. Then he put in water and boiled everything in the pot.

"It'll be done in half an hour." He informed Lloyd and Genis.

Lloyd and Genis went outside to look for Colette, but just as he was going to open the door, it was opened by Colette instead.

"Hi, Lloyd!"

"Colette! I was going to look for you just now." Said in surprise.

"Hi Colette!" Genis smiled.

"Mr. Kratos and the Professor are here too."

Dirk turned toward the door and noticed the visitors. "Come on in."

Colette went first and tripped over the wooden doorframe.

"Whoops! Oh, I'm sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize, you dork." Lloyd said as he helped Colette to her feet again.

Kratos and Raine stepped inside as well. Raine sighed. The whole house looked even messier than last time… Dirk was a dwarf and it was clear that he also had raised Lloyd like a dwarf.

"Oh, welcome Ms. Sage." He chuckled. "I hope it's not school that brings you here this time as well?"

"Actually, It's not. Although I must say that I am a bit worried about Lloyd's results…"

Dirk chuckled again. "Well, he's a good boy at heart. And it's not like grades are the most important things either."

Raine was ready to tell how much she disagreed with the dwarf as she suddenly noticed Kratos standing right beside her.

"My apologies if I startled you…" he mumbled when he saw her expression.

"It's okay…" she mumbled and reddened.

"Everybody sit down, the triple dwarven pot-luck is done!" Dirk announced.

Raine and Kratos looked surprised, but Lloyd, Genis and Colette grinned.

Xxx

"A metal ore…" Raine sighed. "What kind of food is this…"

"Hmph." Kratos replied. "You can count yourself lucky."

"Lucky?" Raine asked.

"I got a boot…"

"Oh, I see…"

After everyone has finished eating (or like Raine had secretly disposed of it in some sneaky sort of way), they went outside.

"So, did you find out when you're gonna leave tomorrow? 'Cause I wanna say goodbye." Lloyd asked, a broad grin on his face.

"I'll tell you later… Why don't you talk to the others first? I need some time alone right now…" Colette explained.

Lloyd gave her a nod. Then he pointed to a bench nearby the river running past Dirk's house.

"You can sit there if you want. I often sit there when I'm doing woodwork." Lloyd told her proudly. "I actually made the bench myself. Dad helped me just a tiny bit, but not much."

"Sure." Colette smiled.

"Tell me when you want to talk, ok?"

"I will."

Then she walked over to the bench and sat down. She was using this evening to get a last glimpse of Iselia and the surroundings before she left, Lloyd understood. He'd have done the same thing if he would be going on such a long journey.

Raine smiled as Lloyd walked over to her to say goodbye.

"I'm gonna miss you a lot, professor."

"Oh?"

"I think I'm even gonna miss your kicks after a while…" Lloyd admitted like a smile.

"Thank you Lloyd." Raine smiled at the boy. "I'll miss you too."

Lloyd and Raine looked at each other for a while without saying anything. Despite her violent outbursts, her obsession for dusty old ruins and her painful methods of punishment, Raine was the closest thing to a mother Lloyd had ever known.

When Lloyd and Genis were smaller, Raine would occasionally take them on trips into the Iselia forest, where they'd play games and have lots of fun. And if Lloyd or Genis got hurt (which happened a lot due to their wild games) Raine would always be there to heal and comfort them. The trips just got even better when Raine started letting Genis make the sandwiches for the trips instead of herself. Lloyd smiled as he recalled those memories, and Raine did smile too.

"Lloyd?"

It was Genis' voice.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" Genis asked.

"Of course." Lloyd replied. "About what?"

"Have you finished with the necklace for Colette?" the silver-haired boy whispered to Lloyd.

"Eh… almost." Lloyd lied.

"You forgot it didn't you?"

"I told you-"

"Didn't you?" Genis asked again.

"Okay, okay, I forgot about it. But I'll be done tomorrow!"

"Lloyd, Colette will be gone tomorrow!"

"But she'll be back after the journey."

Genis rolled his eyes.

"That journey could take a year to complete!" Genis burst out.

But Lloyd had already gone to talk to Colette, who had called out to him.

Xxx

Colette and Lloyd had went up to the balcony and Genis was petting Noishe. Raine wandered a bit around outside, running through the list of things to bring on the journey. She could not take much with her, only the most essential things.

"Raine?"

Raine turned around to see who had spoken to her from behind.

"Oh, Kratos. What is it?"

She then noticed that Kratos was looking at the grave where Lloyd's mother, Anna, lay.

"Whose grave is that?" Kratos asked.

"It belongs to Lloyd's mother, Anna." Raine answered. "But I don't know any details about her death…"

"Hmm… I was just wondering." He replied. "And his father?"

"Dirk is his adoptive father."

"I meant, about the real one."

"Oh…" Raine blushed slightly. "I'm not sure."

"Hmm…"

Kratos turned back to the grave. He seemed like he was thinking about something.

Xxx

Colette and Lloyd were both up at the terrace.

"You wanted to talk?" Colette asked.

"It's about your birthday present…"

"Oh?" Colette smiled at him.

"…I didn't get the time to finish it."

Colette quickly hid her disappointment and smiled at Lloyd again.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it Lloyd."

Lloyd didn't meet Colette's eyes but looked down instead.

"I wanted to make you something special before you left…" he mumbled.

"It's okay. Just wish me a happy birthday!"

Lloyd raised his head again.

"Okay…"

Colette gave him a warm smile and a little of Lloyd's guilty feeling disappeared. Then he suddenly got an idea that put a big grin on his face.

"I just remembered that I've got something for you after all!" Lloyd grinned.

Before Colette had the time to ask, Lloyd gave her a big hug.

"Happy birthday Colette!"

She looked at him, happy and surprised at the same time.

"Thank you Lloyd!"

"And I've got something for you when you come back too!"

Lloyd thought Colette looked sad for a blink of an eye, but he was surely just imagining things. There was no trace of sadness on Colette's face.

"And I won't be able to go with you tomorrow?"

"Lloyd… it's dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. The desians will be after us."

Lloyd paused for a moment before he opened his mouth again.

"Colette… there is one thing I have to tell you… You know… my mom…"

"Yes?"

"I thought she died in an accident… but today… I found out that she was murdered by desians!"

"I see…" Colette replied. "We'll leave around noon. You can come then."

"You're the best, Colette!" Lloyd smiled.

Xxx

A bit later, Colette, Genis, Raine and Kratos had headed back to Iselia. Colette had already gone home. Much to his discomfort, Kratos discovered that there was no inn in Iselia. Raine had then offered him to stay at her and Genis' place. Kratos agreed but Genis didn't seem to be too happy with the solution.

"Raine, you're nuts!" Genis whispered to Raine as they entered the house and she offered Kratos to sit down.

"You know that we've only got two beds here!"

"I'll sleep on the floor." Raine replied calmly.

"And why you and not Kratos?" he asked. "Isn't he your boyfriend?"

Genis only got a smack in return.

"Fine, if you're gonna be that way…" the elven boy muttered angrily and went into the bedroom to sleep.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Kratos asked.

Raine blushed. "Genis can be a bit… annoying sometimes."

Kratos smiled. "Children are children."

"Well…"

The two adults talked for a while before Kratos helped Raine pack her things.

"And I'll take this one with me too." Raine grabbed an ancient stone vase, another artefact that she had found in an old, dusty ruin somewhere in Sylvarant.

"And you are sure you will be able to carry all of it?" Kratos asked and eyed her with a look of curiosity.

"Of course." Raine grabbed her bag and tried to lift it up, but she put it down again soon. "Phew… it was heavier than I thought…"

"How about only bringing the lighter artefacts with you?" Kratos suggested.

"Hmm… I could try that…" Raine took out the heaviest artefacts and replaced them with lighter ones, and soon she was able to carry her bag without too much trouble. "You're smarter than I'd thought!" Raine smiled at him.

Kratos blushed at the compliment. "Uh…"

"I always thought mercenaries had to be quite lowly educated, but you don't seem that way."

"Well, let's say… I've studied… a bit." He replied.

Raine smiled. "Good to hear."

Kratos smiled back. "But you' better get to bed now. It's late."

"I though I could lay on the floor and you…" Raine tried to explain.

"I'll sleep here, but thank you for the offer." Kratos replied and lent back into his chair.

At Raine's concerned look Kratos told her that he was more used to sleepless nights than her. Raine finally agreed and went to bed too.

The next morning, Raine woke up early. She dressed quietly and exited the bedroom. Kratos was already awake. He was still sitting in the chair.

"Did you sleep well?" Raine asked.

"So-so." The auburn haired mercenary replied. "But I'm fine!" he quickly added as he saw Raine's expression.

"I'll make breakfast now." Raine declared. "Then I'll wake up Genis."

Kratos looked strangely at her. "Well… but why don't you wake him up before you start? Then he will surely be completely awake when breakfast is finished."

"I have my reasons." Raine explained and went into the kitchen.

Kratos didn't know that he would discover Raine's reasons very soon…

Xxx

"Breakfast is ready!" Raine said proudly and held up a plate with three… somethings… on it.

"It surely looks… unique…" Kratos remarked.

He then saw something small and silver-haired rush out of the bedroom. It was Genis. Then Genis noticed Raine and her breakfast.

"Raine! I said I was going to make breakfast!" he cried out. "And besides… why didn't you wake me up?"

"Thought you were sleepy." She lied.

"Yeah, of course…" Genis said ironically, but luckily for him, Raine was too occupied in watching how Kratos tried to eat one of her sandwiches.

"So, what do you think?" Raine blushed a bit.

"They're very… original…" Kratos replied as he took the second bite of what was a sandwich, according to Raine.

"I think I had them in the oven a little too long…" she admitted.

Genis freaked out.

"Raine! You're not supposed to put sandwiches in the oven!"

"Am I supposed to boil them?"

"No…" Genis sighed.

"Um… is frying okay?"

"No…"

"So that's why they turned out like this…" Raine mumbled before she took a bite herself.

"Raine, did you boil, fry and bake them?" Genis asked, quite shocked.

"I did." Raine replied.

"You're nuts!"

SMACK!

"Oww…"

Xxx

After breakfast, Kratos and Raine went to Colette's house to pick up Colette and drop off Genis, who was going to stay with Frank and Phaidra.

They left soon after, Colette being well aware of the promise she had just broken.

Xxx


End file.
